Bailey prepares for pressure vs. Tennessee

Notebook

Posted: Friday, October 08, 2004

By Marc Weiszermarc.weiszer@onlineathens.com

A T-shirt commemorating last year's 41-14 victory over Tennessee plays well in Athens, Ga., but Bulldogs kicker Andy Bailey hasn't been shy about wearing the shirt back home in his hometown of Athens, Tenn.

The redshirt freshman kicker not only dishes it out but he can take it too from Tennessee fans that live in the town midway between Knoxville and Chattanooga on I-75.

"I went home during the bye week and someone said 'Think of me when Tennssee kicks your butt,'" said Bailey, who wasn't recruited by Tennessee but drew interest also from Clemson and Alabama. "I wasn't too happy about that."

Bailey will kick against his home state school for the first time Saturday when the third-ranked Bulldogs face the 17th-ranked Vols.

He didn't follow Tennessee or any college team for that matter in high school. His favorite team? English soccer's Manchester United.

Bailey has enjoyed a smooth transition to the college game. He leads the SEC with 36 points, but still has yet to be confronted with a pressure situation.

"It's been good for him to this point," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "We really haven't gotten him into a situation where he's had some adversity really."

Bailey is 7-for-9 on field goals with a long of 33 and has made all 15 of his extra points. His two field goal misses from beyond 40 yards weren't gamebreakers.

"I'm sure one day we'll be in a situation where he'll miss a kick that could have been the difference in game, and we'll see how he reacts," Richt said. "Or maybe early in a game he'll miss a crucial kick and will have another chance to kick it later on in the game, and we'll see how he does."

Milner out; Harrison doubtful

Tight end Martrez Milner won't play Saturday after leaving practice on Wednesday with back spasms and strongside linebacker Arnold Harrison is likely to miss his second straight game because of a bruised left shoulder.

"I don't know if he'd be ready for an emergency," Richt said.

Derrick White will again start in place of Harrison and freshman Brandon Miller will back him up.

Redshirt freshman Trahern Holden will be behind starting tight end Leonard Pope. Milner has three catches for 71 yards.

Offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles is expected to play despite being limited in practice this week with a sprained knee.

Reserve tailback Tony Milton returned to practice after missing two days with stomach flu.

Friday Night Lights' hits home for Dixson

Reserve defensive tackle Dale Dixson hopes to spend his day off from football on Sunday going to see "Friday Night Lights," the movie which opens today based on H.G. Bissinger's 1990 best seller about high school football in West Texas.

Dixson played at Garland High School near Dallas, winning a state title in 1999.

"I've read that book twice," Dixson said. "I think it will be a good movie for football players and for people who want a good story to watch."

Both Texas and Georgia are passionate about their football.

USA Today reported this week that two Texas high schools - Denton and Round Rock - have new stadiums that cost $20 million each. Georgia's Valdosta High is also mentioned with a 10,300 seat stadium at a price tag of $7.5 million.

"High school football there is like college football here," Dixson said of Texas football. "More time, more coaches, more money, more fan base, more everything."

Schnetzer accepted to med school

Junior Ryan Schnetzer, who is rotating at center with starter Russ Tanner, learned this week that he has been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia's School of Medicine in Augusta.

Schnetzer applied for early decision. He is planning for a career as an orthopedist.

The Newnan native will have a season of eligibility remaining after the 2004 season, but is likely to defer admission for another year.

Defensive end David Pollack, who saw his sack total drop from 14 in 2002 to 7.5 last year, leads the SEC with three sacks and now has 26.5 in his career. He needs three more to pass Richard Tardits for Georgia's all-time sack record. "I thought he played just an outstanding game against us and maybe even intimidated some of our players a little bit because of his quickness," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "Compared to last year, I think he's playing fantastic football right now." ... Richt asked Georgia fans to again make their presence felt on Saturday. "I really believe the fans were the difference last week and I know they expect the players to get just as high for the game so the fans have got to get just as excited about the game."